A job ad for an upcoming PlayStation Studios game is making rounds, parts of which are already worrying fans. The ad appears to be for another live service multiplayer game, and although that alone isn’t anything significant, players are expressing concerns because of Sony‘s recent history with live service games.
Unannounced PlayStation Studios game might have esports/competitive elements
As spotted by Reddit users, the job ad is for a UX/UI Design Lead, who will help develop “social and economy systems” for the mystery title, among other things. Sony is specifically looking for someone with experience developing multiplayer games, particularly “global gaming markets and the competitive gaming/esports landscape.”
The ad also suggests that Sony’s looking to develop the game for multiple platforms including PC and mobile.
As previously mentioned, it’s Sony’s recent history with games-as-a-service that’s causing concern for this game. The company has canceled dozens of live service titles including high-profile projects like The Last of Us and Concord. Not only have there been financial implications of these cancellations, but PlayStation has also lost talent with studio closures and multiple rounds of layoffs.
It’s unrealistic to expect Sony to give up on live service, but we can’t blame fans for being worried either.